Snowed In
by Polywantsanother
Summary: Zuko and Katara miss a flight. Modern AU
1. One Bed

The snow started to fall just as Zuko stepped out of the taxi. He shut the door, pulling on his gloves and looking up at the slate sky as the taxi driver took out his luggage. As Zuko adjusted his muffler, the taxi driver stood next to him and also looked up, rubbing his eye from a fallen snowflake.

"They haven't cancelled your flight?" The man asked. Zuko sighed and looked at his smart watch.

"Not as of yet." He said. The taxi driver nodded and the two men shook hands.

"Have a safe flight your Highness." The driver said. Zuko shook his head but smiled.

"Thanks." He replied. Disowned and disgraced, Zuko hadn't been much of a prince since he was fourteen. That was, as the cliche went, a lifetime ago and Zuko was headed toward better things. Clicking the handlebar into place, Zuko turned and walked toward the automatic doors of the receiving terminal.

He had gotten through security and was heading toward the VIP lounge when he heard someone call his name. Turning, Zuko scanned the sparse crowd till he saw the figure rushing toward him.

"Kat?" He asked in shock. Katara came bustling up, dragging a tattered suitcase behind her, smiling broadly.

"What are you doing in Omashu?" She asked as she slowed, getting closer to him.

"I had business here. What are you doing here?" Zuko asked.

"My internship is here actually." Katara said, fidgeting now with her chunky knitted scarf. "Are you taking the two-thirty to Kyoshi?"

"I am." Zuko replied and they lapsed into an awkward silence. "Are you, uh, travelling alone?" Katara stared at him blankly for a minute, blinking rapidly. Then a thought dawned on her and she smiled again before laughing lightly.

"Oh right, yeah. I broke off the engagement months ago." She said.

"What?" He balked.

"Did Sokka not tell you?"

"No!"

"Weird, he told me about-" Katara stopped herself, rolling her lips inward and looking embarrassed. Zuko sighed heavily and rubbed his forehead.

"About Mai and me." He finished for her.

"Sorry." Katara murmured.

"No, no it's fine." Zuko turned and looked at the lounge. "Would you like to get a drink with me? I saw on the board that our flight is delayed."

"Am I allowed in there?" Katara asked.

"For how much I pay and how often I fly, the least they can do is let me bring a friend." Zuko replied, looking over his shoulder to smile at her. Katara softened and smiled back.

"Then sure. I hate flying so maybe this will help me sleep through it." She said. Zuko gestured for her to go ahead and the two of them walked to the small kiosk at the entrance of the lounge. A woman in a crisp blue suit and bold red lipstick greeted them. She took in the cut of Zuko's peacoat and Katara's large parka, but her expression never changed. Whether it was out of a lack of judgement or the ability to mask it, Zuko didn't know.

"Member card?" She asked and Zuko pulled out his wallet. He slid the heavy black card out and handed it to her, grinned reassuringly at Katara.

"She is here as my guest." Zuko said, turning back to the woman as she scanned his card.

"Welcome Mr. Nakamura." The woman greeted as she handed back his card. Her eyes slid over to Katara. "And guest." Zuko cleared his throat as he replaced the card and offered Katara his arm.

"Shall we?" He asked. Katara tossed her hair over her shoulder, ignoring the woman at the kiosk, and took his arm.

"Thank you."

For whatever reason, no matter the time, the VIP lounge was always dim. Perhaps it was to perpetuate a forever nightscape to keep travellers trapped in the liminal state. A man in a crumpled suit laid draped over a table with crumpled straw wrappers and a sweating tumbler of amber liquid. For him it was more like one in the morning than one in the afternoon. Zuko ushered Katara to the raised bar and they both took a moment to shed the outer layers of their winter wear.

"Have you eaten?" Zuko asked as they both hung coats and scarves over the back of their long legged chairs.

"Breakfast yeah, but not lunch yet." Katara replied as she stowed her luggage under the bar and perched on the table. As if summoned, another woman wearing a matching blue suit to the one at the kiosk, appeared and handed them navy blue folders. Zuko took his as he sat and watched her place a plank of a menu between them; the drink list.

"Water?" He asked.

"Please." Katara said primly as she opened her menu. As her face disappeared behind the blue screen, Zuko slid the woman his black card.

"Two waters to start please." He said. The woman whisked the card away and walked off as Zuko flipped his menu open on the bar.

"Sushi?" Katara asked idly.

"This place is good, but that would still be airport sushi." Zuko countered and Katara chuckled.

After they had ordered and the water had been delivered, Zuko and Katara sat still mostly isolated. The low tone of some smooth jazz album was barely audible and Zuko tuned it out. Katara slumped forward against the bar, casually using her bending to stir her straw through her glass of water.

"You know, I'm actually offended you didn't know I was in Omashu." She said suddenly. Zuko sat back in his seat, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Oh?" He replied, raising his brow in question.

"I told you that was why I couldn't make it to Sokka's bachelor party." Katara said. Zuko raised a finger as he pulled his cellphone out of his coat pocket.

"APPA, search Katara's emails for keyword 'Omashu' please." He said into the flat black screen. The rim of the screen glowed a blueish white line before it fully illuminated.

"Keyword not found." The artificial voice said. Katara sat up, ready to argue, but Zuko pushed out his hand toward her.

"APPA, please read the email tagged Katara's excuse." He said. The outline glowed again before the screen.

"There are sixteen emails tagged 'Katara's excuse.' Would you like me to read them all?" The phone said.

"Newest please." Zuko said.

"Okay, I get it." Katara said with a laugh and Zuko just set the phone down on the bar.

"Reading newest email tagged 'Katara's excuse,' received last month: 'Hey! Sorry I can't make it out there for the party, my internship is getting crazy. Hopefully we can meet up before the wedding!' End of email." The phone screen darkened and Zuko turned to Katara, who used her fingers to flick water into his face.

"I love that you named your phone assistant after Appa." She remarked.

"That's entirely Sokka's fault. Watch how you can open the GPS." Zuko said and leaned over his phone. "APPA, yip yip." The phone turned on and the GPS app opened.

"Where would you like to go?" The phone asked before Zuko reached down to turn it off. Katara covered her face as she laughed. She calmed as the attendant came with their plates.

"When do you release it?" Katara asked while Zuko unwrapped his chopsticks. He tapped them against the bar and then dipped them into the plate of noodles.

"We have a limited release in the next few months. I'm moving away from phones though, since we made the decision as a company to protest planned obsolescence." He said.

"What's next for Nakamura Telecommunications?" Katara questioned, cutting into her steak.

"Much of the same." Zuko picked up a thick noodle and dipped it into the small bowl of liquid in his plate. "I've created a non-profit to start manufacturing transportable medical equipment."

"That's different." Katara said.

"It is. But anyway, how did your last tournament go? Sokka told me you won but not much else." Zuko said. Katara snorted and paused to chew.

"Well, I didn't win because that's not how my school does things. It was an exhibition, and I kicked ass." She said.

Zuko's smart watch beeped and he tapped it to see the notification.

"Looks like we're delayed again." He said.

"Time for a beer?" Katara asked.

"Abso-fucking-lutely." Zuko replied.

After five drinks in, their flight was finally cancelled due to weather. Katara swore as Zuko signed the bill and replaced his wallet.

"They're gonna give me a voucher for a shitty motel." She muttered as she jammed her arm through her jacket sleeve.

"Come on, let's go check at the counter." Zuko said evenly as he folded his jacket over his arm and pulled up the handle for his suitcase. Katara just continued to mutter as she followed him out of the lounge. Zuko smiled pleasantly at the woman at the kiosk, though now he was unsure if she was the same woman from earlier. He wondered, briefly, if that was a statement about him or the company who hired these women.

They walked through the terminal to the ticket counter, where a young man stood behind a computer; the only person behind the long counter with empty terminals. It was oddly quiet and the large tinted windows of the airport had been further darkened by the winter sunset and constant snow.

"Hello, we were set to board the two-thirty to Kyoshi." Zuko said as they stepped up. "Do you know when the next flight will be?"

The young man, wearing a name tag with "HUA" typed in bronze letters, typed something into his computer.

"The next flight is a ten forty-five tomorrow morning." Hua replied.

"Excellent. Do you have vouchers for accommodations for tonight?" Zuko asked.

"Unfortunately, the hotel we use is booked already." Hua answered. Katara stomped off, swearing loudly now, and Zuko sighed.

"I'm a VIP member, can you check to see if there's someplace I can use my points?" He asked as he slid his card over the counter. Hua took in and resumed typing.

"There's a suite at the Blue Oasis hotel. Would you like me to book it?" Hua inquired.

"Please. And call a car, if you wouldn't mind." Zuko said.

After everything had been booked and printed, Zuko went off and collected Katara.

"Come on, I got us a room." He said, craning over Katara's slumped form. Her head was buried in her crossed arms as she sat on the floor with her back against a pillar. Katara popped her head up and looked at him suspiciously.

"How?" She asked.

"I'm very wealthy Katara." He replied and Katara snorted.

"I guess it does help when you're the nephew of the Fire Lord." She said.

"It's more like I'm the head of a multi-billion company but sure, let's go with the easy one." Zuko quipped. He held out a hand and helped Katara to her feet. She tottered for a second, slightly off her step. Zuko continued to hold her hand as she leaned down to pick up the various cuts of cloth that had fallen off of her. He noted, for one odd moment, that he hadn't actually held hands with someone in a long time. Katara's hands were warm and she held him with the same indifference that she would hold onto a stair railing. But the touch of her skin made Zuko's heart flutter.

"Okay, let's go." She said, still holding his hand. Unsure of if it would be ruder to let go or continue holding on, Zuko panicked and just kept hold of her as he walked to the exit. Katara easily fell in step with him and they were quiet, so Zuko could only hear the rolling wheels of their luggage and that subdued smooth jazz that was piped through the whole airport.

Heat seemed to build between their hands and Zuko wondered if as a Firebender he could spontaneously combust. It wasn't something they had ever discussed in his lessons growing up.

The automatic doors opened and an air current blew warm air down on them. It wasn't until the doors shut that they were hit by the gust of cold air. Zuko immediately began to cycle his breath, sending warmth to his limbs and extremities, but Katara didn't seem fazed.

"You are so warm." She said before leaning into Zuko, turning her hand so that their fingers interlaced. Zuko, in spite of the warmth that now was searing inside of him, froze and his shoulders pulled up.

"Still a Firebender Katara." He said gently and she chuckled.

"Very useful." She said. Zuko let out a cloud of breath and looked up at the black sky. He couldn't see any stars, for all the lights of the airport or from high flying clouds, but the snow was still coming down in soft petals. It was only about five in the evening, but the sun set so quickly in the winter, and it felt so much later.

"Katara, are you drunk?" Zuko asked.

"A little." Katara answered in a small voice. Zuko lowered his head with a smile. His smart watch buzzed and he rolled his wrist over, as his hand was still tied up in Katara's fingers, and the screen illuminated.

"The car is here." He said just as a sleek black town car drove into the taxi lane. The driver popped out and held up an umbrella, but Katara shook Zuko loose and used a hand to pull together a shield of snowflakes over their heads. The driver tucked the umbrella under his arm and came around to open their doors and take their luggage.

"So useful." Zuko stated as Katara slid into the car, while he leaned against it, his arm on the roof. Katara paused and looked up at him, flicking her hands toward him. The cover of snowflakes dissipated and fell on Zuko's head. She was laughing as Zuko got in, shaking his head to spray her with water. Sitting back, he started steaming the rest of it away.

The driver didn't comment as he closed their door before getting into the front seat.

The hotel was close to the airport, but due to the weather the driver proceeded slowly over poorly salted roads. Zuko settled in and let Katara continue to rest against him.

"So I guess you're not still mad that I'm Sokka's best man?" He asked and Katara blew a raspberry.

"I mean, I get it. And I'm glad you guys are good friends, but it still stung." She admitted.

"If you get married, is he going to be your maid of honor?" Zuko inquired.

"Of course. But could you imagine if we got married?" Katara said and Zuko choked.

"What?"

"He couldn't be in both of our parties." Katara explained. Zuko slowed his breathing.

"Good thing we're not getting married then." He said evenly.

"You'd have to buy me a drink first." Katara joked and Zuko laughed.

"I did that already." He pointed out.

"Well are you proposing then?" Katara asked.

"I think there's supposed to be a few more steps before that." Zuko countered. He was warm, so warm, but he was suddenly trembling. He fought against the spasms of his muscles, trying to hide his obvious anxiety from Katara. She sat up and looked at him.

"Alright Mister Businessman, what are the steps to get to marriage?" She asked.

Gods above, Zuko didn't know if she was flirting. He looked at her, unable to swallow or breathe, and tried to figure it out in the split second before he could respond. They hadn't drunk much, she was just as touchy as her brother, they hadn't seen each other in months. Was she just being overly friendly, or was she flirting?

He needed to know because he knew how he wanted to answer. He knew exactly how he wanted to answer.

"It's like the old song, first comes love?" He said and Katara just looked at him for a moment. Either disappointed or unimpressed, she just leaned against him again.

"I tried that. It didn't work out." She muttered and Zuko sighed.

"Same. But I'll let you know if I figure anything out." He replied.

"Thanks Zuko."

When they pulled up to hotel, they found the drive up blocked by two large industrial vans. One was an HVAC and the other was a local plumbing service.

They should have been as obvious as corvids, as they were a pair of ill omens.

The driver pulled up as far under the covered drive as he could and opened their doors before unloading their things from the trunk. Zuko took a few bills from his wallet and handed them to the driver as Katara took her suitcase and started for the front of the hotel. This level of expectation in regards to his wallet was fascinating to see. Where Mai had always been obvious about it, his friends had moved into a blithe acceptance; only Toph had funds that rivalled his and no one else could afford to move in this manner. Mai presumed, while Katara knew that any protest or offer would be feeble. She, much like her brother, just kept moving.

Katara waited for him in the lobby, and was patient as he took the time to remove his gloves and stick them in his coat pocket. Then they wordlessly walked to the check in desk.

"Good evening, my name is Zuko Nakamura and I have a room reserved." Zuko said, producing a different but equally heavy onyx card. The concierge paled.

"Ah, forgive me Mr. Nakamura, but there is an issue with your room." He said.

"What do you mean?" Zuko asked.

"We've been doing renovations, and a pipe burst on the eleventh floor. All of the rooms have been moved." The concierge explained.

"Where is my new room?"

"We've placed you in room 618, but it isn't a suite."

"And that means?"

"There's only one bed."

Zuko and Katara stood at the foot of the bed and they both sighed.

"It's really not a problem." Katara stated.

"It's inappropriate." Zuko said.

"Why? Do you think we'll be sleeping in the nude or something?"

"What? No, I-"

"Zuko, we can just sleep in the bed together."

"But you're…"

"What? A girl? Because I know you've bunked with Sokka before."

"It's not that."

"So you're worried for my dignity or something? I didn't think you were a chauvinist Zuko."

"I am very much not! Katara, please, it's-"

"You're worried Sokka will be upset? It's one night."

"Katara will you please let me finish a thought!"

Katara snapped her mouth shut and looked at him as Zuko ran his hands through his hair. He sat down hard on the edge of the bed, keeping his head cradled in his hands.

"I don't want to share the bed because I very much would like to touch you and it will be very difficult for me to sleep next to you." He said.

"Touch me how?" She asked.

Touch me, how? Would be simple confusion. Touch me? How? Would be incomprehension.

Touch me how? Is asking for examples.

Zuko looked up and found Katara standing directly in front of him. Was she flirting or angry? The clarity and intensity of her gaze didn't give him an answer but thrilled him all the same.

At this point, he could only give her honesty. Being coy would gain him nothing.

"I don't know. It's not like I have any sort of tangible thought in my head. I saw you and for the first time we're both single and I just want to touch you." He answered.

"That doesn't answer my question." She said, crossing her arms over her chest. Zuko stood in a fluid movement, standing easily a head taller than her. His intensity covered the return of his trembling and now Katara wavered in her stance. Looking up at him, her lips slightly parted, and Zuko cupped her face with one hand. He ran his thumb over her bottom lip and he watched the movement, before flicking his eyes back up to hers.

"I just want to feel you Katara. You can tell me how you want to be touched." He said. Her eyes widened in shock and it broke a bit of the mood. He wondered how others had gone about laying hands on her and Zuko bristled.

"I would like you to kiss me." She said. Zuko hesitated. It wasn't Sokka that he worried about. It was that in three days, they would all be back in Kyoshi. The wedding would bring romance and alcohol, and Aang. Tonight was just one night.

He dipped toward her, moving his hand to the back of her head as he kissed her. Gently, softly. She was smiling before they parted.

"Buy me dinner?" She asked, now so obviously coy and flirtatious.

"To spend the night together? How textbook." He retorted. Katara laughed and Zuko grinned at her amusement.

"If we order room service we can kill two birds with one stone."

"Do you know how expensive room service is?"

"Oh is Mister Multi-Billion Conglomerate not liquid?"

"I seem to be for how easily you're manipulating me."

Katara burst into raucous laughter and Zuko couldn't help but join in.

"That was an awful pun." She said.

"You seemed to enjoy it."

"I always enjoy you Zuko."

Zuko had channeled lightning that left him less charged.

Katara playfully shoved him over as she leapt onto the bed and crawled over to the head. She clicked on the lampp on the nightstand and propped herself up against the headboard as she examined the menu.

"The prices are ludicrous." She conceded. Zuko took off his outerwear and started picking Katara's clothes off the floor.

"Since you challenged my financial security, feel free to order to your heart's content." He remarked as he set about hanging things up.

"Would you have sex with me?" Katara asked suddenly.

"What?" Zuko exclaimed and whirled to look at her. Katara idly looked up from the menu, blinked at him, then looked back down.

"Would you?" She repeated.

"No." He said firmly.

"Why?" She asked.

"Because I'm not ready for that." Zuko blurted quickly. Katara nodded and flipped through the heavy laminated pages.

"That's why I like you Zuko. It's not you hedging your bets and making it seem like it'd be up to me, or because you're worried about Sokka." She said.

"That's. Katara that is really disturbing when you think about the implications." Zuko replied. He paused and then shut the closet door.

"Have you been testing me?" He asked suddenly, keeping his focus on the closet door.

"No." Katara answered and Zuko relaxed under the wave of relief. "I mean, not until that last question anyway."

Zuko went back to the bed and sat at the foot while he removed his shoes. He turned and began prying off Katara's boots while she held up her leg, still looking for food. Again, this servitude was more akin to comfort than the prostate nature he had taken with Mai. There had been days after training where he had fallen at Katara's feet and whined piteously until she started to massage his aching muscles. It was simply what they did for each other.

He wondered why this fearful reaction to his attraction had even occured really as he tossed her boots to the floor and pulled on her legs. Katara shrieked in glee as he pulled her down the bed and moved over her, watching as she slid the menu down her face to peek at him.

"You're mean." He said. Katara tilted her head back and lowered the menu a bit more so the rest of her face was exposed.

"You encourage it." She countered.

"You should be nicer to me. I took a lightning bolt to the chest for you." He said.

"Sure, but what have you done for me lately?" Katara quipped. Zuko snatched the menu away and flung it to the side. Katara laughed again and covered her face with her hands.

"You are a ridiculous creature." He said. Katara opened her hands to make blinders on the sides of her face.

"But you love me." She said jovilly. A joke.

"I do." He replied softly. Seriously. Her hands, slightly shaking, reached up. He lowered himself as her arms went around his neck. He gently pressed his weight against her as they kissed again. He kept his eyes closed, unable to look at her face.

"A drink and love." Katara whispered in his ear. "Are you proposing Zuko?"

Zuko kissed the soft, warm skin of her neck.

"Not yet." He murmured. "Not tonight."


	2. Two Fake Engagements

The weather had cleared by the morning and Zuko paid to have Katara bumped up to first class. They talked very little about the night before - where they ordered too much food, bought a movie, and fell asleep with all of the lights on - and more went over the itinerary for the wedding. Zuko had been chosen as Sokka's best man for sentimental reasons, but as he peered at Katara's tablet and saw the chaos of her emails and calendar, he knew there were practical reasons involved as well.

When the engagement had been announced, Toph and Zuko had discreetly texted while the others celebrated. Toph claimed Suki and paid for the expected bridal contributions including extensive renovations at Kyoshi to host the venue. She also paid for much of the travel since Bei Fong Industries had many hands in many pots, including owning an airline.

An airline that Zuko never used, but that was another thing entirely.

Zuko had covered for Sokka, of course, though he had to dance around Hakoda to get it done. Through various means and with Iroh doing a lot of the actual interactions, Zuko paid for the supplies, the suits, the food, and all the numerous little things. As well as the bachelor party that consisted of patches that still eluded him and an external hard-drive that Sokka was keeping "just in case."

Katara had just started her medical internship when Sokka and Suki announced, and was currently midway through. He hadn't actually seen her in between then and now, and had not understood the depth of her education. As they talked about the timeline, Zuko saw three reminders pop-up on her screen, reminding her to check the statuses of various projects.

He had built a sprawling conglomerate that supported most of the world's internet, cell service, and cable. He owned three news channels, fourteen newspapers, three academic journal, and an independent publishing house. He was consistently in the "30 Under 30" lists for personal wealth, business records, and humanitarian efforts.

And Katara always made him feel like he was behind.

CHECK HIV TEST 97.23B scrolled across the top of her tablet in bold red letters. She swiped it away and zoomed in on a picture of the centerpieces.

"I don't think these match the designs Suki sent them. Should I call the florist?" She asked and looked up at him.

"Can you really ignore that?" He asked. Katara scoffed but swiped through her windows, pulling up a live feed of a lab.

"If I can't trust my labmates, I'm screwed." She said and they both watched for a moment as three other people moved silently around a lab.

"So seriously, these centerpieces." Katara repeated and brought the pictures back up.

Zuko texted Sokka when they landed, and by the time he and Katara were seated in the back of a car, she was on the phone with Suki. Zuko put both of his ear pieces in, drowning out Katara's call, while he took one from Toph.

"Centerpieces?" He asked when she picked up.

"Handled. Did I see you flew in on Kindred Air?" Toph replied.

"I own stock in KA. But I see Katara only uses Badgermole devices." Zuko said.

"Yeah except we still have to use Naka chips because SOMEONE won't release the designs." Toph quipped and they both laughed.

"How was the snow delay?" Toph asked.

"Fine, though I obviously had to shift my schedule around. Did my uncle arrive yet?"

"Sure. And half the royal court. I thought you said your dad wasn't coming?"

Zuko's throat dried and tightened.

"Pardon?"

"Melonlord is here and he is oh so not happy."

"Why would he even be there?"

"Probably because Iroh is. It's a frigging state function Zuko, get your head outta your ass."

"I didn't think-"

"You didn't think that your pops would do the exact thing that would make your life miserable? How am I the blind one, because I saw that coming a mile away."

"You could've warned me then."

"I've been busy." Toph said, lowering her voice in frustration. "Some space walnuts decided that they wanted to build a new city remember?"

"Yes." Zuko said with a sigh.

"And who has the largest construction company?"

"I get confused. Is that you and I have the largest network of smelts and forges?" Zuko shot back. "Because I seem to recall that metalwork is all the rage in construction right now."

"You taunt me, a Metalbender, with that bullshit again and I WILL END YOU ZUKO SO HELP ME." Toph blustered and Zuko laughed.

"Try not to murder my father and I'll see how I can handle him when I get there." He said.

"See you soon Hot Pants."

Zuko ended the call and replaced his earpieces in their charging case. He glanced over at Katara and found her staring at him.

"What?" He asked.

"You have the weirdest friendship with Toph." Katara remarked and went back to her tablet.

"Sometimes it's more comfortable being around her than anyone else. We both grew up pretty isolated and it makes affection, difficult."

"You seemed pretty affectionate last night." Katara quipped while flicking through various emails.

Zuko felt his face flush and he glanced up at the driver. The man had the cap pulled down on his face and he seemed to not be paying attention.

"Have you checked in with your brother?" Zuko asked, turning back to her.

Katara nodded. "Him and my dad yeah."

"My father is there." Zuko said soberly.

"So I heard." Katara clicked off her tablet and looked up at him. "Are you okay?"

"It's always complicated. I'm bound by politics but, my father thinks filial piety is more important." Zuko said.

"Didn't Ozai have your mother murder your grandfather?" Katara asked.

"He finds anything that benefits him to be more important than anything else." Zuko said.

"It'll be okay Zuko." Katara said and put a hand on his lap. "You'll be busy with wedding stuff."

They were, thankfully, all staying in the same bed and breakfast. The Fire Nation retinue was in a hotel twenty minutes outside of Kyoshi, and the much smaller Southern Water Tribe was staying in town. Toph and Katara were sharing a room, so Zuko gave her a small wave as she disappeared into her room. She smiled at him before Toph popped out into the hall.

"Hey Hot Pants. Drinks later? I have something I need to talk to you about." She said.

"Yeah, sure. Is it serious?" Zuko asked.

"Nope." She stated and then pulled Katara into the room, shutting the door firmly behind them. Zuko shook his head but opened the door to his own room.

Sokka was lying on the bed, drinking from a beer bottle on the nightstand through a network of connected straws.

"What's up buddy?" Zuko asked as he softly shut the door. Sokka swallowed before spitting the straw out of his mouth.

"I'm getting married in like, forty-eight hours." Sokka stated. He was lying prone, his arms outstretched across the width of the bed, and stared blankly up at the ceiling.

"Literally nothing will change Sokka." Zuko said and started unpacking his suitcase. "You guys have been living together for years."

"Well don't get sentimental on me." Sokka retorted and then sighed. "I don't know why I'm freaking out."

"You're putting a pinpoint in your life. You're marking this moment as the singular moment where you define a part of your life. You are trying to make meaning of one miniscule part of the infinite stretch of time, which inherently makes everything meaningless." Zuko went on as he hung up his dress shirts.

"Hashtag 'so deep.'" Sokka quipped and Zuko laughed.

"From how people go on about it, I feel like it's as daunting as bending for the first time. It's a very defining moment." He clarified. He turned as Sokka sat up in bed and began disassembling his straw system.

"You're happy though, right?" Zuko asked. Sokka turned to him, looking confused.

"Completely. Why?" He asked in reply.

"Just returning the favor man." Zuko said and then looked at the state of the bed. "Have you been sleeping in here?"

"Suki didn't want us to sleep together till after the wedding." Sokka said.

"The wedding isn't until the day after tomorrow." Zuko pointed out. Sokka leaned onto an arm with a broad smile, using his other hand to rub slow, awkward circles onto the rumpled blanket and sheets.

"I think this bed's big enough for the both of us." Sokka said and added an exaggerated wink. The two men laughed but Zuko's was abruptly halted as his watch buzzed. He tapped it and a message started to scroll across the otherwise blank face.

He frowned.

"What's up?" Sokka asked, rolling over to lay on his stomach.

"My father is requesting I join them for dinner." Zuko muttered and tapped the watch off.

"How in the blazing hell did he skip jail time again?" Sokka asked.

"Since Aang made it clear we weren't going to execute him, it would've been politically awkward." Zuko shook his head and walked over to the mirror hung on the wall. "But Kuei got Azula."

"So she's on house arrest in Ba Sing Se, justice served!" Sokka exclaimed sarcastically. Zuko eyed his outfit in the mirror and his frown deepened. He would need to go find a better suit somewhere.

"All part of the peace treaty Sokka." Zuko said and started unbuttoning his shirt.

"I still don't know why-" Sokka started but stopped as Zuko glanced at his reflection. Instead, Sokka sighed heavily and rolled himself out of the bed. As he passed behind Zuko, he paused and patted Zuko's shoulder.

"You deserved better, buddy."

"We all did."

"Nah, I think I'm getting my reward." Sokka said and the two smiled at each other in the mirror. Sokka broke away and started toward the door.

"Suki and I were going to check on the restaurant for the rehearsal dinner tomorrow. Did you want to come?" He asked.

"No, I'm going to grab a drink with Toph." Zuko replied and Sokka gave him a quick nod before exiting the room.

After Zuko put on a fresh outfit, he walked across the hall. He knocked on Toph's door and heard subdued voices before the heavy footfall that announced Toph.

"What's up Hot Pants?" Toph asked as she wrenched open the door.

"Want to grab that drink? My father is sending a car for me in a little and I will probably not be up for it after." Zuko said.

"Sure, let me grab my jacket." Toph replied and walked back into the room, leaving the door open. Zuko leaned in the doorframe, crossing his arms over his chest and peered into the room. Katara had her jacket over her arm and smiled at him.

"Are you going with Sokka and Suki?" Zuko asked. Katara shook her head and walked over.

"No. I was thinking of joining you two, if that's okay." She replied and started to pull on her jacket.

"Sounds good to me." Toph stated and expelled them all out into the hall. "We'll take my car."

"I find it funny that you drive and Zuko doesn't." Katara remarked as they all started to head to the stairs.

"Really? Because I find it terrifying." Zuko replied.

"Zuko's just mad because he has the AI but not the car." Toph countered.

"Technically, you don't have the AI at all. You just have fancy, untested sensors." Zuko retorted.

As they stepped out of the bed and breakfast, Toph hesitated for a moment. Almost immediately, Zuko looked down and saw them all standing in the dirt; despite the cold, Toph was still barefoot. Zuko promptly stepped away from Katara and she looked at him, puzzled.

"Is it fully self driving yet?" Zuko asked, moving them along.

"Not yet. But it's just over here." Toph replied. Zuko and Katara followed behind her as Toph walked into the parking lot. When they approached her car, the sensors Toph wore interacted with the vehicle and it beeped as it unlocked. Zuko held open the passenger door for Katara and she brushed his hand with hers as she slid in. He warmed and shut the door, trying to calm himself before getting in behind her.

They drove out of Kyoshi, and actually headed into the city where the Fire Nation group was staying. Zuko glanced out of the window, marvelling at the new suspension bridge that connected Kyoshi Island to the mainland. Thanks to Toph's discovery of metalbending, the construction of massive structures like the Sun Bridge was no longer a pipedream. A group of Metal- and Waterbenders had thrown it together in a matter of months instead of the decade others had projected.

Toph sat in the driver's seat, keeping her hands on the steering wheel. The sensors in the car acted much like her earthbending and gave her haptic feedback to allow her to drive. More sensors in the road itself as well as various signs fed into the car's acceleration, brakes, and GPS so that it could effectively drive on its own. Most other blind drivers would let the car drive itself as they didn't have Toph's training in reading sensations. As it was, Toph was able to change lanes, which she did at alarming speeds.

They arrived at the bar in one piece and Zuko scrambled out onto solid ground. Katara exited laughing, and paused as Toph leaned over in her seat.

"I'll go park and meet you out front." Toph said.

"Sounds good." Katara replied and shut the door. As Toph pulled away, Katara and Zuko walked to the bar entrance. It was still early afternoon and the sun was still up, so there were very few patrons inside.

"So a second date already?" Katara teased as Zuko peered in through the front window.

"I guess we're marching down the checklist huh." He replied and turned back to her. Katara stepped closer to him and Zuko took in a sharp breath.

"Are we, Mr. Nakamura?" Katara asked, looking down and reaching out for the edges of his coat. "How do you think we're progressing?" She flicked her eyes up and gave him a coy smile, making him weak in the knees.

Katara ran her hands down the edges of his coat, all the while maintaining eye contact. Zuko swallowed, hard, and grabbed her hands.

"Quickly." He said and Katara curled her fingers into his coat, pulling on it. Zuko could almost grab a spark from the air between them, and he leaned down toward Katara's upturned face.

"Alright, alright, keep it in your pants you guys." Toph called out, making them both jump.

"How long have you two been banging?" Toph asked as she walked up to them. Katara laughed as she came around to stand next to Zuko, putting her arm through his.

"We haven't started yet." Katara replied as she hugged onto him.

"We ran into each other yesterday at the airport. It's all relatively new." Zuko added.

"So you haven't told Sokka?" Toph asked.

"No," Zuko started and looked over at Katara. "There's really not anything to tell him yet."

"We can see what happens after the wedding." Katara said. They shared a smile and Zuko kissed her quickly on the forehead.

"Cool, let's go inside before my feet freeze." Toph said and they all walked inside. Toph took a moment to grab a pair of flats from her purse and tossed them onto the floor, stepping into them quickly. She had metal tabs on the back and used her bending to make sure her shoes were on before they walked over to the bar.

They spent the next hour catching up. Toph had been in Kyoshi for two days and was going insane from the anxiety Sokka and Suki were generating. She discussed her current plans and how Republic City was progressing. That turned into a conversation on politics and they began to argue about the rise of the nation state. From there, they discussed the implications of shifting power from the North Pole to the Swamp Tribe, since neither the North or the South currently had a clear line of succession.

In the middle of Katara and Toph discussing the finer points of culture in power, Zuko got a message on his watch.

"My car is here." He said and stood up, reaching into his coat for his wallet.

"I got this round Hot Pants." Toph said.

"This was more than one round Toph." Zuko replied.

"I said, I got it." She insisted.

"Thanks Toph." Zuko said and turned to Katara. "I'll see you." He leaned in and kissed her cheek.

As Zuko reached the front door, he heard her call out to him. He paused and turned, seeing Katara pull on her coat as she trotted over.

"I'm going with you." She said.

"What?" Zuko balked.

"It'll be fine!" She insisted and grabbed his arm, yanking him out of the bar and into the cold evening air.

"Katara, this isn't-" He blustered and Katara put her hand over his mouth.

"I'm not letting you deal with your father alone." She said. Zuko grabbed her hand and put the other on the small of her back. As he pulled her to him, he kissed her and felt her body melt into his. As they parted, Zuko was pleased to see that Katara seemed slightly dazed.

"Awkward first dinner with family is skipping a few steps." He said.

"I think we're far beyond doing this correctly." She countered.

"Are we actually doing this?" Zuko asked.

"Yeah." Katara answered with a smile. As Zuko dipped down to kiss her again, another nondescript town car pulled up. They were composed as they walked over as the driver opened the door for them.

"We spend a lot of our time in the backseat of cars." Zuko remarked as the door shut on them.

"Or bars. And hotels." Katara added.

"I don't know what this says about us." Zuko adjusted his scarf as Katara chuckled.

"It implies we're getting more action than is actually occurring." She remarked. Zuko, oddly, felt offended at the statement.

"So, tell me more about your internship." Zuko said. Katara cozied up to him and put her head on his shoulder.

"How much do you know about bloodborne pathogens?" She asked.

The drive to the restaurant was not a long one, but somehow Katara had broken down what HIV was and how she was hoping to cure it as they pulled up to the front. Zuko was relieved to see that they were eating at a fairly normal - though still fairly expensive - homestyle restaurant. This meant that Iroh would be joining them and Katara would not look too out of place.

As he watched her toss her chunky scarf over her shoulder he knew she wouldn't care regardless. There wasn't much about his family that intimidated her.

When they entered, they were promptly ushered toward a back room. As they entered, Iroh rose from the table while Ozai stayed seated. Zuko did note that his father went rigid as Katara entered the room and warmly greeted Iroh.

"Oh, it's so good to see you again!" Katara said as she embraced Iroh. Not many people in the world could hug the Fire Lord.

"Katara, it is always a pleasure. But I am surprised to see you!" Iroh replied as they stepped apart. The hostess had taken Zuko's coat and moved around to take Katara's.

"Thank you." Katara murmured to the woman and then turned back to Iroh.

"Well, I thought it was important, all things considered." She said.

"What is so important that you felt inclined to invite yourself along to a family dinner?" Ozai asked from his seat. Katara faced him, smiling politely but in a way that implied an animalistic threat to tear out his throat.

"Well, Ozai, since we'll be family that means I get to come to family dinners." She replied.

"Pardon?" Ozai asked.

"We're engaged!" Katara said with a giggle and grabbed onto Zuko's arm. Fear and confusion made Zuko stand upright and move his stare from Katara to Ozai. Seeing his father's enraged face, Zuko had to fight the urge to laugh, though he did smile. Relaxing, he eased into Katara's hold.

Ozai rose sharply from his seat.

"What?" He exclaimed as Iroh coughed out a laugh.

"Well congratulations, nephew." He said.

"So it's not bad enough you've disgraced the family? You have to marry a Waterbender?" Ozai asked.

"I think you've forgotten. You disgraced the family when you had your father murdered, overthrew your brother, and then had nothing to show for it except ruin after the Avatar defeated you and took away your bending." Zuko shot back. "I am marrying the daughter of the chief of the Southern Water Tribe, who took part in bringing down your army, and is a martial waterbending master. If anything, I'm bringing a little respect back to our name."

"Also, he likes me because I'm smart and very pretty." Katara tacked on and Iroh laughed all the harder.

"Excellent, excellent. This makes everything easier. Everyone, sit down." Iroh said as he walked back to the table. Zuko was solicitous as he pulled out Katara's chair, sitting next to her as she shook out her napkin. Ozai sat back down, slowly, curling his lip in disgust but angled it down at his plate.

"Makes what easier?" Zuko asked.

"We received some good news from the international council a few months ago. As I am too old to have another child, they have recommended that we secure inheritance another way but still through the family. We took that to the ministers and they have come to an agreement." Iroh began.

"How? I'm still disinherited and Azula is locked up in Ba Sing Se." Zuko said.

"Having a Nakamura child would keep the line stable and allow for a smoother transition within our country." Iroh said.

"Your sister is getting married." Ozai interjected.

"What?" Zuko and Katara spoke at the same time.

"She has been betrothed to the new king of Omashu." Iroh clarified.

"How does that help the line?" Zuko asked.

"Both you and your sister are still forbidden from taking the throne, however, when one of you produces a Firebender, that child will be named as Iroh's heir." Ozai said. "Your uncle does not want the child of Azula's union to be that child." Iroh sighed but Katara snorted.

"Who would?" She retorted and Ozai glared at her. She shied away and grabbed Zuko's hand, suddenly gripping it tight.

"Wait, our child." She said.

"Our hypothetical child." Zuko continued. They shared a glance and Katara gave him a watery smile.

"Great." She said with forced enthusiasm.

Zuko had never seen a plan go awry so quickly and with such a potent blowback.


	3. Three Small Talks

They drove back in silence.

King Bumi had died three years ago. When they had all gone to him lying in state, they had wondered what would happen next. Most of the others were worried about Aang, who was seeing the last link to his childhood slip away. But Zuko and Toph had known and they were somber for other reasons.

All of the colonies had to be disabled at the end of the war. And when Kuei had gone a step further - gifting the Yue Province to create Republic City - the rest of the Earth Kingdom had brought up a suit that established independent kingdoms. Emperor Kuei held Ba Sing Se and oversaw the Court of Kings. Previously, when a king had passed, the Earth King could effectively hand it off to another person; there had never been a line of succession before. Now that the kingdoms were independent, that lack became an issue.

And Bumi had produced no issue.

Zuko wracked his brain as he thought. Who had become the new king of Omashu? Had Azula and his father planned some intrigue? Had they gained a co-conspirator within the Earth Empire?

Would he rather she be stuck in an unhappy marriage over the possibility of danger?

The back and forth of the argument sucked his mood down. He had just been in Omashu; if the king was marrying his sister, why hadn't he heard of it? There were lines that he had laid a long time ago and none of them had picked up on this. So either the Earth Empire had pulled ranks and shut out his spies, or else Azula was up to something.

Multiple times during the ride, Zuko grabbed his phone, going so far as to switch it on, but did nothing with it.

He wondered more about what his father had said at the end of dinner.

Katara had reached out to shake his hand, to reassert herself as someone equal to Ozai if not more respected. He took it, cautiously, and with obvious disgust. But before letting her hand go, his grip suddenly tightened.

"Where is your ring?" Ozai asked.

"What?" Katara said. Ozai gestured to Katara's other hand.

"Is my son so poor that he couldn't buy you a ring?" He asked. Katara pulled back her hand and looked at Zuko.

"I wanted her to pick out the ring." He replied evenly.

"Always with a ready answer, aren't you Zuko?" Ozai asked.

"No need to proffer one when it's the truth." Zuko said. The two men stared at each other as Katara eased closer to Zuko.

"I'm just surprised Zuko. You hadn't shown any inclination to marry before." Ozai remarked.

They hadn't spoken directly in close to a year.

Zuko looked down at his phone again before clenching his fingers over it.

"Zuko." Katara started softly. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine Kat." Zuko said sharply.

"I shouldn't have said-" Katara went on and Zuko cut her off with a look.

"I know I asked you to wait until after the wedding, but it is an exciting time." He said and put his hand on her lap. "I'm sorry I didn't tell my family sooner."

Katara's brows pulled together for a moment, in confused thought, but her eyes flicked to the side. Seeing the driver, Katara sighed and her shoulders sank a bit.

"I'm glad you're not upset." She said. Zuko pulled her over and kissed her hair.

"Never with you." He murmured and put his arm around her.

When the car dropped them back at the B and B, Zuko stood outside till the vehicle had disappeared down the drive.

"Katara?" Zuko asked, still watching the twin red lights moving in the darkness away from them.

"Mmm?" Katara intoned.

"Can you get the owner for me?" He asked and finally faced her. "I'm going to have to do something she won't like."

They both went inside but as Katara went looking for the owner, Zuko continued upstairs. He knocked on Toph's door and waited, leaning against the doorframe and looking back down the hall toward the stairs.

"What's up Hot Pants?" Toph asked as she opened the door.

"Your team has been working exclusively on this house right?" Zuko asked and leaned over, looking at Toph from the corner of her eyes.

"Of course." Toph said and crossed her arms over her chest. "Why? What's up?"

The owner, a middle aged woman that had a name Zuko could never pin to memory, crested the stairs with Katara behind her.

"What is going on?" She asked with a thin line of irritation in her words.

"I'm sorry ma'am, but did any other contractors work in these spaces recently? Anyone other than the Bei Fong ones?" Zuko asked.

"Well, yes. We had some electricians from the Fire Nation come in, because they were actual electricity-benders." The woman replied. Toph inhaled sharply and Zuko closed his eyes with a sigh.

"Ma'am, I'll pay for all the damages." He said as he pushed away from the wall.

"What damages?!" She balked. Zuko grabbed his cellphone as he and Toph walked into his room. Toph ripped off the plasti-plate over the lightswitch and Zuko dipped his fingers into the wall like he was plucking harp strings.

"Zuko!" Katara yelped as she lurched forward. The cellphone in his hand crackled as he diverted the electricity through him and out his other hand. He felt it curl in his chest and he amplified it as much as he could, sending it back through the current he established.

As his cell phone exploded, the lights in the room - really, in the entire B and B - lit up in a blinding light. Then, like popcorn, there came the rapid popping as bulbs shattered and other, smaller bursts as devices in the room also exploded. The owner started yelling as they were plunged into darkness and the air started to grow stale at an alarming rate. Zuko ignored her and systematically went through his luggage, shorting out all of his devices and frying any information saved therein.

"Do you think he bugged everything?" Toph asked.

"I have no idea, but better safe than sorry." Zuko replied, tossing his dead laptop onto the floor.

"Chang…" Katara winced as the owner got off some very excellent swears as Zuko and Toph walked up.

"I am so sorry Chang, but the Fire Nation had bugged this place and I needed to take care of it quickly." He said and bowed low.

He was surprised to feel the slap cross the back of his head. Standing back up, he rubbed his head, though it was more surprising than painful. The woman looked up at him, huffing.

"You are going to replace each and every bulb AND get the electricity back on." She said and then, turning sharply on her heel, stomped down the stairs.

Zuko was impressed she made her way in the dark.

The three of them got everything cleaned up and put to rights before Sokka and Suki returned. Getting the electricity back on involved a generator that Zuko started up with his bending and the application of a taser that Toph wielded with sadistic glee. She called her contractors, finding proper electricians to come in the morning.

The generator went to the essentials, so the kitchen and air system were the only things on. Chang had locked herself in her small bedroom on the first floor, but could be heard muttering from two rooms away. Zuko lit candles and the fireplace in the large living room, where they all ended up congregating.

"So," Sokka started as he and Suki cuddled together on the couch. "I assume your dinner went well?"

Katara walked into the living room holding onto wine glasses in one hand while the other floated along two wine bottles and three beers. As she set everything down, Toph used her bending to pull off the beer tops and handed Suki and Sokka one while taking the third for herself. Katara poured wine into the glass, pulling it out with a waving hand, as she handed it to Zuko.

"Azula is apparently getting married." Katara said and took her seat next to Zuko. Toph sat in a large armchair perpendicular to them all, bringing her ankle up to rest it on her knee and leaning back leisurely.

"That's news to me." Toph remarked and took a drink.

"Which should not be the case." Zuko grumbled as he swirled his glass.

"You'd be a lot better as a Master of Spies if you would actually utilize your massive communication network." Toph pointed out.

"That's unethical." Zuko said and took a sip.

"Ethics? In spying?" Sokka interjected and Zuko rolled his eyes.

"So who is Azula being wedded to?" Suki questioned.

"The new King of Omashu." Katara answered and Suki sucked air in through her teeth.

"While that's not ideal, what's the problem?" Toph asked.

"Apparently, in order to secure the Nakamura line, the ministers have accepted the offer of any Firebending child born of either Azula or myself will be named my uncle's successor." Zuko said. The group fell silent and awkwardly played with their respective drinks.

"Seen Mai lately?" Sokka asked and was immediately elbowed in the gut.

"Well, actually, my family now thinks…" Zuko drifted and caught Katara's eye. She sighed and then shrugged.

"They think Zuko and I are engaged." She finished. Sokka choked on his drink, covering his mouth and nose. He visibly swallowed hard on the beer before succumbing to a massive coughing fit.

"Zuko," He managed hoarsely as he set down his beer can. "Are you sleeping with my sister?"

"That is none of your business." Katara stated as Sokka wiped his running eyes.

"Fair point, but think about this:" Sokka leaned forward and stared at Katara with serious intent. "I don't want you to break my best friend."

"We only just started seeing each other Sokka." Zuko said. "We're on one full day now."

"Not to derail this awkward train of conversation, but what's the big deal?" Toph questioned.

"I have no idea if Azula's marriage was planned. If she has found an ally in her husband-to-be then she might produce a Firebender sooner than anyone would like." Zuko said.

"I didn't think you of all people would put stock in someone's parentage when it comes to character." Suki remarked.

"It's not that. It's the implication that there is some other plot happening in Omashu. I need to know who this king is, when he was picked, and why." Zuko said.

"What if there is no plot Zuko?" Sokka asked. "It could be politics and not a global domination plan."

Zuko leaned back into his seat with a sigh, rubbing his forehead.

"I know, I know. But this all seems too convenient. And too quiet." He said. Katara reached over and touched his arm. When he lowered his hand, they looked at each other and smiled.

"It'll be okay." She said.

The rest of the night was talking about the wedding. Aang would be flying in sometime in the morning in advance of the rehearsal dinner. Starting around midday, all of Kyoshi would turn into a massive outdoor party. Sokka and Suki laughed, setting bets on who would get drunk first and how many people would be hungover at the actual wedding.

Toph left first, getting a text mid-sentence and grinning as she listened to it. She excused herself and nearly danced to the door.

"Business?" Sokka asked.

"Pleasure." Toph replied and the door shut on their stunned silence. Katara giggled, setting them all off in a smattering of snorts and tittering.

Sokka went up next, leaning bodily on Suki as he kissed her goodnight till she shrieked and playfully pushed him off.

Suki left about a half an hour later, promising Zuko she would go straightaway to her own bedroom. Steadying herself on the banister, Zuko and Katara watched her take swaying steps upstairs.

Katara leaned more against Zuko, pulling her legs up and onto the couch, tucking her feet under her.

The fire had warmed the room nicely, and the occasional pop shifted embers under the rack. Zuko loved the way wood embers looked. They glowed with a softer fire and were more tempting to handle than coal. He had, in fact, handled many of them and was almost disappointed that he couldn't interact with it naturally.

Not that he wanted or needed anymore burn scars.

Katara yawned loudly and shifted only slightly to produce an arm, bending it around to pull more wine out of the bottle and into her glass.

Zuko stroked her hair, but had to shake his fingers loose when her curls ensnared him. He recalled how midway through her first year in her internship, she had cut her own hair in a fit of annoyance. For a long time in her lab, she had to wear a full body clean suit and constantly fought with her hair to keep it pulled back and tucked under. So she had cut it off, not telling anyone till she had shown up to a virtual chat talking about the upcoming summit. The summit had been weighing on Zuko's mind for weeks up until that call, but it seemed to disappear when he saw Katara's shorn hair.

She looked amazing, but he was momentarily devastated. For the entirety of the call, he could only remember looking at her face, how the shortened curls were somehow tighter bound than when it was long. Her hair was so short that there was no real length to it, though she could run her fingers through it, and the waves stuck out in a spiralling spray. It fit under her cap now, and she didn't have to worry about a breach.

Months later, the hair had regrown, though not to the length she had when they first met.

Zuko frowned and took a larger drink of his wine.

He had to remind himself that they had never actually met. They were forcibly introduced when he ransacked her village.

Or when he tied her to a tree.

Or in…

Zuko squeezed his eyes shut and finished his wine.

"What are you grumbling about?" Katara asked. She watched him lean forward, reaching out his fingers toward the wine bottle. He started to whine as his fingers flicked at empty air, inches away from the bottle. Katara heaved a great sigh and pulled out more wine, depositing it into his glass before she finished the breath.

"It's nothing." Zuko replied and sat back in his seat. He adjusted his arm on Katara and let his hand rest on her shoulder.

"So why haven't you asked me about Omashu?" She asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I have been living there for almost two years now."

Zuko paused with the glass almost to his lips and consciously thought about blinking. He lowered his glass.

"I honestly didn't think about it." He said.

"You don't think a lot about what I can do for you, huh?" Katara asked. Zuko chuckled and brought the glass to him mouth.

"I think quite a lot about that actually." He remarked around the lip of the glass before taking a sip.

"I mean, do you think I actually have anything that can help you?" She questioned.

"Haven't you been busy with your internship?" Zuko asked in reply.

"I'm also the daughter of the Chief of the South Pole, and I helped save the world, in case you hadn't heard." Katara said.

"I was aware of that actually."

"I dined at the palace in Omashu."

Zuko jolted forward and almost lost his wine.

"You did?" He asked.

"I did. The problem is, it wasn't with the King. He had a minister invite me, to welcome me back to Omashu." Katara said.

"So you…" Zuko drifted, his mouth not willing to give sound to his thought.

"So I have an in." Katara shifted before sitting up, putting a hand on the cushion and leaning in toward Zuko. "I could-"

"No." Zuko set his glass down next to the wine bottle and turned to Katara. Looking down at her hands, he gently took one of hers into his own and used his free hand to take her wine glass. Placing it next to his, Zuko took up her other hand and stared at them for a moment. When he looked her in the eyes, he felt a chill run down his spine.

"I cannot have you in the middle of this." He said.

"Do you think something is going on with Azula?" Katara asked.

There was the truth; he could tell her he didn't know, that he didn't have a shred of proof to confirm his worst fears.

Zuko lifted a hand and reached out toward her face. His fingers hovered next to her skin, outlining the curve of her cheek without actually touching her. The flames from the fire rippled in the reflection of her iris. A log shifted and split, shooting up sparks and scattering gems of glowing mercury.

Katara kissed him just as his fingertips brushed her cheek.

Zuko pulled her around as he manuevered them, trapping her between his body and the back of the couch. Her arms went around his neck as he braced himself with one foot on the floor. Zuko's hand was caught under her but he kept it there, feeling the weight of her and fighting the urge to pick her up.

Her tongue parted his lips and Zuko's knee buckled. The room glowed brighter as he deepened the kiss. Her breast rose and fell with her panting breaths and Zuko gripped the back of the couch to keep himself from falling onto her.

"So what are your thoughts on what I can do for you?" Katara asked.

"I can't ask you to spy for me." Zuko said. Katara laughed lightly as she ran her hands up the back of Zuko's head, running her hands through his hair.

"You refuse to answer the question I'm asking." She remarked, looking past him as she spoke. Zuko lowered himself so that he could kiss the tip of her nose.

"I don't like giving the wrong answer." He said. Her eyes flicked back to his.

Zuko couldn't remember falling but suddenly he was tasting her mouth again, breathing in the scent of her skin, and his hands went to her hips. Pulling her down, Zuko urged Katara to put her legs around him. The taste of wine had soaked into her tongue and it seemed sweeter there.

The room was baking with heat and Katara's hands tugged his shirt upward. Zuko sat up and took it off, pausing for a moment as Katara splayed a hand over his abdomen. Her fingers fanned under the scar where he had taken lightening into himself. As Zuko slowly lower himself back down, Katara's hand move over his hip and onto his back as he took the other one and kissed her fingertips.

They froze as they heard the high groan of the floor as someone stepped across it. Zuko sucked in and the room went dark. As Katara sat up, smoke curled from behind his teeth and out of his nose.

"I don't know how you do that." She whispered sharply.

"You're a Bender aren't you?" Zuko whispered back, cloaking his voice in the cloud of wood smoke. Katara coughed and waved the smoke away.

"One, I didn't see any fire being bent. Two, you're going to get cancer." Katara picked up his shirt and thrust it at him as she hissed the last word. Zuko laughed softly and got dressed.

"That is highly likely." His head popped out of the top and Katara moved closer to him to smooth down his hair. "And there's still a debate if fire is strictly the output of a chemical reaction and if so, we can actually control that part. Meaning I just sucked in a lungful of gas, swallowed a fire, and extinguished it."

"Cancer." Katara repeated and stood up. She looked out of the living room into the hall, but no one came into view.

"I feel like a teenager trying not to get caught with my boyfriend's hand up my shirt." She said

"Technically, you had your hand up my shirt." Zuko said. Katara smirked and slapped his chest lightly with the back of her hand.

"Come on, we should go to bed." She said. Zuko followed obediently behind her and as they walked into the hall, it was like they had stepped back into the house. They had successfully sealed themselves off in that room, in that moment, and now Zuko was aware of the space around him.

The floor did creak under their steps and they both moved gingerly up the staircase. They both paused in the upstairs hall, with the sound of their breathing and the soft woosh of the air system stirring the drowsy night. Zuko opened the door to his room and saw with amusement that Sokka was spread full eagle across the entirety of the bed. Katara leaned around him and snorted seeing her brother tangled up in the blanket and his mouth wide open.

"Come on," Katara said and stepped away, holding the hem of his shirt. "Toph isn't coming back tonight." Zuko closed the door and they both walked into her room across the hall.

They were shy now. Not two full minutes from writhing over each other like snakes and Katara was coy. Zuko looked away from her, wordlessly disrobing.

"So what were you thinking about earlier?" Katara asked while Zuko draped his shirt over the back of a chair.

"What do you mean?" He inquired and undid his belt.

"When you got all grumbly." Katara said.

"Shoot, I need to grab some shorts from my room." Zuko muttered.

"No need." Katara replied and Zuko turned. Katara, pantsless but wearing a long t-shirt, walked to her suitcase. She flipped the top up and dislodged a pair of blue sweatpants.

"Here." She said and tossed the pants at Zuko. He looked down at them, horrified, and looked back up at her.

"Who's are these?" He questioned. Katara laughed and put her hands behind her head, under her hair.

"They're mine. Purchased by me and worn exclusively by me, till this point." She said. Zuko shook out the pants; they were easily a size too big for him.

"These are mens sweatpants Katara." He stated.

"They have a drawstring Zuko." She shot back. Fluffling out her hair, she moved to the bed. "I like being comfortable."

Examining the pants, he found that the cuffs were worn in odd streaks all the way around, but especially at the heel. She obviously had to roll up the cuffs to wear them.

"Fine. Thank you Katara." He said and tossed the pants over his shoulder as he pulled off his belt.

"So what made you grumbly?" Katara repeated.

"I grumble about a lot of things."

"So make a list."

Zuko didn't answer as he stepped out of his pants and put on the sweatpants. They smelled like floral laundry detergent, though they looked grungy. He stayed silent while he picked up his pants and straightened them out before draping them over his shirt.

"I've hurt you Katara, and I don't really know if I deserve to come back from that." He said, addressing his clothes.

"It's been years Zuko. We've all forgiven you." Katara interrupted herself to laugh. "You're the best man at my brother's wedding and you knocked him on his ass the first time you saw him."

"It's not like we bumped into each other on the street and I punched him." Zuko said and peered over his shoulder. "I almost killed you."

"Really?" Katara asked derisively. Shocked, Zuko turned to her.

"What?" He asked.

"When you fought an Agni Kai with Zhou, before you ever attempted any sort of redemption, did you kill him?" Katara asked.

"Well, no." Zuko said.

"Your sense of anger and rage at that age doesn't go through inflation like money Zuko. You may have felt like you would have killed us, but every opportunity when you really could have, you didn't. I don't think you had it in you." Katara explained.

"I feel a little offended." Zuko said and scratched the side of his jaw. "That's probably not a good thing."

"You were a violent, messed up sixteen-year-old. It's been almost ten years. You're allowed to enjoy things now." Katara said and held out her arms. "Now keep me warm Firebender."

Zuko leapt into the bed and pushed himself into Katara's embrace.

Outside, the snow started to fall.


	4. Four Toasts

Zuko woke up to see Sokka looming over him. He normally woke quickly, but seeing his friend's face so close to his own made the shot of adrenaline almost propel him out of bed. Feeling a weight on his chest, Zuko kept himself still, letting his thoughts collect and give him a proper reading of the situation.

He was in bed, but obviously not his own since Sokka was standing next to him and not the body lying on him. He was half dressed as he could feel the shared warmth of skin on skin. Sokka's face was irritated and bemused.

"Hey, the lights are back on." Zuko remarked. The air system was working properly now and blew a gentle heat into the room.

"Why are you sleeping with my sister?" Sokka asked. Zuko looked down and saw the tangled cloud of Katara's wavy hair.

"Because I had the choice between you and her and I mean, can you blame me?" He replied.

"I don't like that you're dating her."

"You're going to make me marry her to spite you, and is that really how you want your sister to end up married?"

Sokka chuckled and Katara finally roused, lifting her head to glare at them both.

"Can you two put a sock in it? I was sleeping." She stated.

"You were not. Your breathing changed the moment I spoke." Zuko said. Katara muttered to herself before rolling back to her side, pulling the blanket up over her head.

Zuko eventually untangled himself from the snare of the sheet and blanket Katara had wound in her sleep. Sokka went downstairs for breakfast while Zuko went into their shared room to shower.

For all the inane rhetoric that had been drilled into his head by various firebending teachers, Zuko felt at peace in the shower. The water hit his skin with muffled paps that sounded like rain hitting the stone pavers in the gardens of the palace. Fat, warm, summer rain that came down heavy from lazy clouds that tottered overhead. As Zuko stood, his head bent to allow the spray to fall on his neck, he could almost imagine being soaked in a surprise storm.

His mother had been caught out in a such a storm before, and Zuko had watched her run shrieking toward a covered walkway. He had been inside, neglecting some lesson, and knelt at the window with his arms crossed on the sill. He had smiled at his mother's beautiful face - a beauty that all mothers had to their children, but that apparently Ursa had naturally earned herself - and how her long, ink colored hair clung to her face and neck. Servants came running with the thick, fluffy towels she preferred, but paused as another figure approached from the other building. Zuko recalled his father's face - also young, also beautiful but in a fearful sort of way - as he saw his wife, soaked and improperly laughing with the servants.

But Ursa's beauty afforded her luxuries not available to many. To only her, really.

Ozai had taken hold on his mother's face and gently pushed back her wet hair. Ursa trembled, from fear or from a chill, and Ozai only smiled at her.

It had stirred a sort of jealousy in Zuko then. That his father, who hated so many, still had the ability to lay hands on his beautiful mother and to make her afraid. To look at her as one does a rare orchid, or exotic pet.

Years later, after his grandfather had been cremated and Ursa had disappeared, Zuko stood out in a sudden rainstorm. He felt the impact of the drops but not their warmth. He was soaked, but had felt no absolution of the falling water.

The shower he could feel. The water was like Katara's fingers, tapping against him in a moment of idle rest. He could breathe here, in the warm, wet air, with the steam curling around his face. With the water hitting the back of his scalp, and running down the lines of his cheeks and nose, he was able to breathe. It was an odd sensation, to take in air that seemed as wet as the rain. The first time he had experienced it, it had taken his breath away.

Zuko remembered when Katara had held back the rain.

He never wanted to explain to her how he found that more impressive than the bloodbending. To her, the bloodbending had been dark and weighty, made more important by the very fact that it was forbidden to speak of it. But bloodbending had seemed almost obvious when Katara had done it. How many poems had he read where shedding blood was likened to an ocean wave, or how lust was the moon that pulled on the tide of a body's pulse?

Stopping the rain was something else entirely.

Determining the strength of the Bender usually equated to the same thing: how much could they control? That implied a sort of physical limitation to the art, and Earthbenders were assumed to be the proof. The most powerful Earthbenders were impressively muscled and could push against the earth's rigid desire to stay in one piece, in one place.

Toph's simple existence threw that out of the window as she had been outlifting people five times her size since she was twelve.

Billions had been poured into research over bending, to see what made it occur and how a Bender became powerful. If it was genetic, or tied to chakras, or a manipulation of chi. If it could be found and quantified, there may be a way to increase it.

Zuko had very quietly created a lab to try and answer those questions. He was ashamed of himself, knowing that he did it mostly to see if his own power could be enhanced.

Azula's ability had made him feel small, or damaged. Katara made him feel like he was standing in the presence of a god.

He had looked up into the sky that day and it seemed like the rain had frozen for miles upward. It wasn't until that moment that he felt fear, but a sublime kind of terror that occurs when one succumbs to the will of something greater.

Zuko knew he could never match her skill.

With a sigh, Zuko turned off the shower and stepped out for his towel. He steamed much of the moisture off of his body with his bending, but he too had a weakness for large, fluffy towels.

The table had been set with platters of food. Cut slices of toast were decimated and a small plate of butter had been hacked apart. Bacon and eggs were neatly parted on the same platter, with a spoon jutting haphazardly out of the yellow mound. A ceramic teapot sat next to a shiny metal coffee urn, looking like a tall stern husband with his squat cheerful wife. Cream, sugar, pots of jam stood like beehives, with tiny spoons and sticky pools littering the expanse. At the dining table, five seats were taken. Zuko felt a lump form in his throat.

"Hello. Zuko here."

The embarrassment attached to this very specific fear came on quickly. As he worried about it, Suki looked up and waved him over.

"Good morning Zuko!" She greeted as he approached the table and dragged out a chair.

"He-y." He faltered, switching the word mid-stride. Clearing his throat, Zuko tried, and failed, not to make eye contact with the two people that scared him the most in this situation.

"So, just to address the Tigerphant in the room, I do already know." Aang said as he hefted his mug of coffee. Katara patted Zuko's hand as he hung his head down and groaned.

"See? Just like ripping off a bandage." Katara said. Zuko groaned louder and let his head fall onto the tabletop. The others laughed and Toph kicked him under the table.

"Cheer up Zuko, I'm pretty sure everyone at the table has had a crush on you at one point or another." Toph said. Zuko lifted his head but kept his chin on the table.

"Really?" He asked.

"Not me." Suki said. She smiled at him as Zuko rolled his head over to look at her. "No offense, you're just not my type."

"Look, no one cares about you or your relationships." Sokka interjected. "Today is about Suki and me."

Zuko snorted and sat up. Katara passed him a coffee and he lifted it toward Sokka and Suki.

"To two of the greatest people I have ever been blessed to know. May it finally be enough to keep Sokka out of my bed." He said. The others, laughing, lifted their own mugs and cups.

"Here, here!" They shouted and began leaning over the table to clink their drinks.

"Oh by the way," Katara said as Zuko sat back and started to drink his coffee. "Chang has said that in repayment of you breaking everything last night, you get to do the honors of clearing the snow."

"Snow?" Zuko repeated.

"Oh yeah man, it dumped snow last night." Sokka added. Zuko looked from Sokka back to Katara, trying to look as helpless as possible.

"But you're a Waterbender." He said.

"I didn't explode twenty grand worth of electronics last night." Katara replied in a saccharine tone.

Zuko sighed and rolled his head back on his neck, looking across the table at Aang.

"You are both a Fire- and Waterbender." He said. Aang shrugged and took a loud slurp from his mug. After smacking his lips, he set down his mug and smiled back at Zuko.

"You're dating my ex girlfriend." He countered.

"Fine." Zuko said, dragging the word out as he set his shoulders. "But can I at least eat first?"

Aang pushed over the platter of bacon and eggs, using his bending to reheat them enough for steam to start curling in the air. As Zuko started loading his plate, the table resumed their conversations and Katara casually reached over to steal his food.

It was normal, light-hearted, and just enough to almost distract Zuko from the more disturbing theories his mind was putting together about his family. It had been years since Ozai had been defeated and his sister carted off to Ba Sing Se, plenty of time for them to plot.

Zuko sat down with his food and swatted Katara's hand away. She muttered before leaning over the table and using her fingertips to pull the platter closer to herself. Sokka, without pausing in his conversation with Toph and Aang, very leisurely yanked it back. Zuko smiled and bit into the bacon, making sure to lean away from the group as Katara used her bending to splash Sokka in the face with cold tea. Normal and light-hearted.

Reaching into his pocket, Zuko was momentarily paralyzed when he couldn't find his phone. Remembering the events of last night, he just sighed and continued eating.

"So Zuko," Aang started and Zuko looked up. "I hear you were wondering about the new king of Omashu."

"Yeah," Zuko paused to swallow and wipe his mouth. "Do you know him?"

"I do. He was in Jiangsu when I was there last year. He's an interesting guy, name's Li Jing." Aang said.

"Who is he, though?" Zuko asked. Aang made a few faces as he thought before sucking air through his teeth and rubbing the back of his head.

"Minor nobility I think? Apparently, he's like a distant cousin of Kuei's." Aang replied.

"So it was just a family favor thing?" Sokka questioned, having mopped all the tea off his face.

"So it's assumed. The ministers haven't been able to prove the lineage yet." Aang answered and Zuko scowled. Katara patted his arm again and he sighed.

"Have you heard about him marrying Azula?" Katara asked.

"He's doing what now?" Aang said immediately and now Katara sighed.

"So this is news to everyone then." Toph added.

"It doesn't make any sense. Azula is still a war criminal right? This would take international approval." Suki said.

"Technically, the Earth Empire has the most skin in this situation you know?" Sokka replied.

"And the Empire and the Fire Nation are the only ones who can really kick up a proper fuss, if they made a decision between themselves, it's not like the Water Tribes can do anything about it." Toph said

"But that would…." Zuko drifted as he poked at his eggs.

"Did your uncle know about this Zuko?" Aang inquired.

"He must've. My father doesn't have the power to do something like this on his own." Zuko answered, staring down at his plate.

"It's okay, maybe he thought-" Katara stopped when Zuko wrenched his arm away from her reaching hand.

"Thought what? That I was still tied to Mai and going to suffer through that just so my kid could be the next Fire Lord?" Zuko snapped, glaring at Katara. She, looking more shocked than hurt, only blinked at him.

"I'm going to go clear snow." Zuko said darkly and pushed himself away from the table.

It had snowed a lot.

Zuko stood without his coat and shivered slightly as he surveyed the area. From the stoop, he could see that the main road had been cleared, but the lane from the bed and breakfast was very much not. A snow shovel was propped next to the door, where someone had cleared the snow off the porch steps by hand.

Using fire for this was actually not ideal. There would be the issue of residual water and the chance that he would burn whatever was hidden underneath, but he had been tasked with the job.

Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to just do the labor.

Rolling up his sleeves, Zuko took up the shovel and started his work.

It took twenty minutes for his muscles to start burning. The accumulated snow was almost a foot deep, and it was a heavy, wet snow. Zuko made a good dent into clearing the lane but took a break to use his firebending to clear the small patches that had turned to slush. Sweat pooled between his shoulders and were making small, tickling trails down his back. Exhaustion was starting to creep into his arms and Zuko shook his hands when he turned to walk back to the porch.

He smiled sheepishly as he took the mug Katara offered.

"I'm sorry." He said and took a sip of the bitter black tea.

"I forgive you." Katara said and started to walk down the steps, kissing his cheek as she passed him. Zuko sat down on the steps and watched as Katara, like a maestro at her stand, she raised her hand up. Bringing them back down in a sweep before throwing them to the side, the snow responded and was shoved into its banks. Zuko kept drinking as Katara walked down the lane, bending the snow back as she went. Walking back, Katara got to the snow on top of the porch and swept it off. The snow cascaded down the side in a rush, spraying Zuko with small crystals and scenting the air with an icy crispness.

"Zuko, I don't know if there's a plot or not, but we can think of something." Katara said as she stepped up to sit next to him. Forever practical, no matter how much Zuko hated this one habit, Katara started to pull the sweat from Zuko's skin and clothing. The act always made him feel weird and left a salty residue he had to wash off anyway.

"What are you talking about?" He said and shifted away from her. Rolling her eyes, Katara only pulled the sweat from his shirt.

"I'm saying that, you know, I've never been against having kids." She replied.

"Kat, we only just started dating." He said.

"We've known each other for years Zuko, it's not like we're in a preliminary get-to-know-me stage." Katara countered.

"That doesn't mean we need to treat this like it's endgame." He said. He finally slapped at Katara's hands and she left him alone.

"Why not? You don't assume every relationship is going to end do you?" Katara asked.

"For one thing, I've only had one relationship. So." He swirled his tea and fed some heat into it. "For another, I don't assume anything about relationships because doing so invariably results in disappointment."

"What do you want to do then?" She questioned.

"I want," Zuko bit off the rest of his sentence. He couldn't drag Katara into his paranoia and risk her getting hurt.

"I do want to get to know you Katara. And I want you by my side for however this all goes down." He finished.

"Every Agni Kai, I'll go with you Zuko." Katara said. Zuko lifted his tea.

"To new relationships." He said.

"Rising from the ashes of an old one, how appropriate Firebender." Katara remarked and took his cup to drink from it.

"Are we not still friends?" Zuko asked and took back the tea.

"Semantics." Katara said and waved him away. "Now take another shower. You stink and the party is about to start."

The wedding rehearsal was restricted to the actual wedding party. They all travelled together to the pavilion - after Zuko had a second shower - and stood by their cars as Aang and Katara cleared the snow. Other cars soon started to arrive and Zuko sank into his coat. He peered gloomily as Aang and Katara started laughing, throwing snow at each other. Aang always carried himself with what Iroh called a summer breeze. He was light and fun, and usually welcome in most instances. He moved through circumstances with an easy confidence and optimism. To put it simply, he was everything Zuko could never be.

Zuko leaned against a car, turning his head, but not really wanting to interact with anyone. Suki walked off as her Maid of Honor and the mayor, Biyu, emerged from a taxi. Sokka walked over to chat while he waited for another car, hopefully bringing his father and his other groomsman. Zuko had only met the other man once, a quiet fellow named Possum. Sokka had spent some time in the Swamp Tribe and Possum had apparently been an adventurous friend, though his timid disposition made Zuko doubt that.

"It's a wedding Sparky, don't look so gloomy." Toph said as she approached.

"Don't you have a wedding planner to intimidate?" Zuko replied and stepped away from the car. Toph laughed and crossed her arms over her chest.

"You know that both of us are going to miss things from time to time. We made certain choices that ensures that." She said.

"This was big though Toph. I should have heard about this. From legitimate channels."

"You mean through your uncle?"

"He had to have known. There's no way he couldn't."

"No duh. Why do you think he didn't tell you?"

"I have no idea." Zuko fidgeted, snapping little flames down into the snow. Each one hit with an identical sizzle, leaving a small crater in the top of the snow. "It's the only thing that makes me think this isn't a plot. And that maybe Azula is…" He stopped himself and frowned, still shooting at the snow.

"Maybe that Azula is about to be yoked to some poor politically hungry sap?" Toph finished for him. Zuko sighed and kicked the snow over where he had been shooting.

"I just want her to be happy." He said.

"Are we still talking about Azula?" Toph asked. Zuko looked over at her.

"Is Katara unhappy?" He questioned in response.

"It's just weird that you have this soft spot for your sister after literally everything." Toph said.

"No offense, but I don't think you can understand. You didn't have siblings, or even a pet." Zuko replied.

"I had the badgermoles!" Toph said indignantly. She punched Zuko's arm and then leaned back on the car, both of them turning to see that most of the wedding party was now engaged in a massive snowball fight.

"But, you know, you guys are my family now." She said.

"That's gross." Zuko retorted and dodged as Toph turned to smack his arm. They both laughed and watched the snow flying for a moment.

"I get what you're saying though. It's definitely different considering the fluid swapping." Zuko said and Toph snorted.

"To found family." She said and held out a fist.

"To a bunch of weirdos who let me hang around." Zuko said and bumped his fist against hers.

The rehearsal went smoothly. The wedding planner, whose confidence steps faltered around Toph, moved them all through the ceremony. Biyu walked Suki down the aisle, whispering something to keep Suki laughing. Sokka stood at the front, holding his hands together so tightly in an attempt to keep them from shaking. Zuko mimed handing over the rings, pretending to trip at the last moment. Sokka's face went white and Zuko nearly burst something from laughter, while Sokka looked like he was about to throw him.

The wedding planner ended up in a chair with her head in her hands.

After the rehearsal ceremony came the rehearsal dinner. They had all gone back into Kyoshi where the central plaza had been swept clean. Temporary canvas pavilions were propped up with rows of long tables underneath. Tall braziers were standing in various places, the fire held inside looking like plasma. The Water Tribe party was already seated, drinking with some of the villagers.

The dinner started out fairly professional. The local cooks brought out small plates for the wedding party to try and approve. Once the menu had been finalized, and more people had shown up, the drinking really started. As the sun began to set, the musicians started playing. Katara took Zuko's hands and led him to where the dance floor was going to be set. Other groups and couples joined them and they all started moving and laughing together.

Someone at some point let Hakoda in on the changes, and Zuko had caught the man's eye at one point in the evening.

Hakoda had been an interesting man to interact with. Zuko recalled meeting him for the first time right after the war. He saw the man struggle with a lot of things. Zuko was representative of everything Hakoda had hated; he was Fire Nation, had chased after his children, had fought with them. He was the son of Ozai, the great-grandson of Sozin.

It had been hard, but Hakoda had accepted him as an ally, unable to truly hate him when Zuko wore the badge of his own father's hate bare on his face. Over the years, the group had drifted, and Zuko hadn't been much in contact with the leader of the South Pole. However, with the wedding looming and Zuko bankrolling a lot of it, Hakoda now had to deal with the feeling of shame that turned into projected anger.

And so Hakoda watched as his daughter, his heir, a piece of his late wife, laid her head on Zuko's chest as they moved slowly on the dance floor.

Zuko didn't know how to tell him that Katara's love was both a weight around his neck and the only thing that made him feel free. Having her in his arms made him forget about Azula, about plots, and about the future in general. His entire existence was just in this moment, and he couldn't gather together enough curiousity or desire to think about what would come next.

Hakoda, watching from his seat, lifted a glass of sparkling wine. Zuko gave a quick nod and saw Hakoda sigh, but the other man tossed back his drink and turned away. Zuko looked down at Katara and spun her out, watching her face light up with laughter as she twirled under his arm.

"So what about your destiny?" Zuko asked as he took Katara's hand and put a hand on her hip.

"What do you mean?" She moved easily with his steps and kept her eyes locked on his.

"After you cure HIV and become the world waterbending champ, aren't you going to rule the South Pole?" Zuko inquired and Katara chuckled.

"Who knows? The Swamp Tribe is probably going to be the new capital, considering the global market connections and political stability." She answered.

"Would you be okay being the wife of the disgraced Fire Nation prince?"

"Are you asking?"

Zuko moved them both through a wide turn, dipping Katara and holding her there.

"Not yet." He replied.

"Then you'll never know." She whispered. Zuko pulled her up and Katara took the step in, kissing him in full view of the gathered group.

Perhaps it was even more impressive that she could make his whole world come to a complete standstill.


	5. Five Little Words

The night did not seem to have an end. Or at least, that was how the people were behaving. From under the snow, Kyoshi bloomed to cradle the party. As they had all assumed, the entire town was now a part of the wedding, and people from the edges of the island had shown up to partake. Everything that had been pared from the wedding feast, or was leftover or passed over, was put out. People ate and drank together at the long tables, discussing the match of bride and groom. Suki looked radiant, glowing in the firelight and warm from drink. Sokka was a mothfly, drawn to her and looking lovesick. They were well matched, the two together, perfectly suited in their adoration.

Zuko shied away from them, awkward around such affection. He had never seen a healthy couple, and had been just as uneasy when Katara was still with Aang. It gave him a sour stomach, as if their happiness was a facade and he was waiting for the terror and anger.

It also made him feel inadequate.

He had stayed with Mai for so long because he knew she tolerated his ineptitude in regards to relationships. She was fine with his passiveness, unwilling to make a stand in fear of looking like a tyrant. He was scared of feeling content.

Zuko wondered how that would ultimately manifest with Katara.

The drinks and the late hour chased his fears back, and he was pulled into a men's dance some time after midnight. They all moved around a bonfire, singing and clapping to a song Zuko had never heard before. As they moved in a chain around the fire, a massive log crumbled and shot sparks and embers into the air. They floated up into the black winter sky and Zuko stepped out of the line to watch them. They glowed red and gold amid the ice white stars and his jaw dropped.

He could never get the pixels on his screen to look like this. The lenses on his cameras were world renowned, but just this minor swath of sky made his heart beat faster. The sheer blackness of space was both flat and immensely deeps. It went on forever and the stars he saw may have died thousands of years ago. The embers burned out and the sparks gave up, yet the ghosts of the stars lingered.

A hand slipped into his own and Zuko looked over. Katara too stared upward, a small smile pulling on the corners of her mouth.

The music was like a dull thud from another room, though it was all around him. Katara faced him and the bonfire was reflected in the dark rings of her eyes. His hands, moving faster than his brain, took hold of her face, gently cupping around her jaw. Zuko bent toward her and kissed her, smelling smoke and tasting wine.

As Katara yielded to his touch, Zuko moved an arm around her waist to pull her in while his other hand went to the back of her head. He held her as if she was going to turn to water and fall from his grasp. Breaking for a moment, Katara gasped and Zuko took in a breath. Vaguely aware of the public, anything would have made him step back, but Katara threw her arms around his neck and he kissed her again. His body responded to her touch and there was an urgency in their touching.

"We should go." She murmured into his ear and Zuko groaned. Still, grabbing her hand, they made their way through the crowd and back to the bed and breakfast.

As they stripped in her bedroom, between desperate kisses, Katara smirked before gently biting his earlobe.

"Third time's the charm." She whispered. Zuko grunted as he picked her up and tossed her onto the bed.

Katara wasn't interested in his supplication. She instead made a service of his pleasure, and Zuko was stunned into silence as he watched her move over him. Her hair would veil her face and he would only see a glittering eye, or the curve of a cheek. Katara was made of curves and glittering sharpness.

Zuko molded himself to fit her in every way.

And after, they slept.

The next morning, they were jolted awake as someone pounded on their door.

"Six hours till showtime!" Toph called. Zuko laid back down, putting his hands over his eyes.

"How much sleep did we get?" He asked.

"I don't wanna know." Katara groaned and pushed on his side. "C'mon 'n' shower with me."

That got a response that belied Zuko's fatigue.

Everyone was in full panic mode when they made it downstairs. Coffee cups outnumbered breakfast plates, and barely anyone batted an eye at the two of them. If they had noticed what had transpired the night before, they certainly didn't care at that moment. Still, Zuko gave Hakoda a wide berth.

The flowers had made it to the venue yesterday, but the bouquets were just delivered that morning, and Suki had apparently started to cry. Both Katara and Fei Hong, the Maid of Honor, split off and took Suki outside. Hakoda and Zuko calmed down Sokka, assuring him that this was not her having second thoughts.

Once that was settled, the party was officially split. Before Zuko got into the car with the other men, Toph pulled him aside.

"Even though you made me sleep in your room, I got you a present." She said.

"Sorry about that." Zuko said.

"You should apologize more for the fact that you two also kept me awake." She added. Zuko blushed and coughed, turning his face away.

"Here." Toph said and held out a white box. Zuko took it and, upon seeing the logo, frowned.

"I can't be seen with this." He said and glanced at her. Toph chuckled and flicked her hands at him.

"I just want you to know what it really is." She replied. With a sigh, Zuko took off the lid and scoffed.

The phone looked exactly like the Salamander Stone phone his company was about to release.

"You should not have the schematics for this." Zuko said and connected the lid to the bottom of the box.

"I don't. It's a Badgermole phone with an SS cover." Toph said. "I only got a crappy picture of the new phone."

"I'm still upset you got one of your people on my floor." Zuko took the phone out and turned it on with his thumb. The screen illuminated and the Badgermole icon flashed for a blip.

"This one isn't bugged." Toph stated.

"I appreciate you Bai Fong." Zuko flicked the screen up and quickly perused the apps. It was a very basic set-up, and would work for a temporary phone.

"So far, only the main group has this number, and it also connects to our sat network." Toph added and then crossed her arms high over her chest. "And you're welcome."

"See you at the wedding Toph." Zuko said and Toph shrugged. Getting into the car, Zuko watched as Toph hesitated, before she moved back toward the house as they pulled away. Sokka, Hakoda, and Possum were discussing something involving Water Tribe stuff, so Zuko went through the phone contacts.

Blind Bandit was the first entry. An unconscious laugh came out and Zuko went through the rest.

Ponytail, Sokka; and Zuko hovered over the third.

Sugar Queen.

Zuko clicked on her profile and burst into laughter. The other men stared at him and Zuko turned the laughs into a coughing fit and edged closer to the door.

Under "nickname," Toph had entered "The Future Mrs. Sparky."

 **Hey, Toph got me a phone. :Sparky**

Zuko pocketed his phone and turned to the others.

"Do we have anything to do before the ceremony?" He asked.

"Not much. We need to get dressed and then the photographer is going to take pictures. By the time he's done, the ladies should get there. Then we wait till the guests file in." Sokka said.

"How is everyone feeling?" Zuko went on. Hakoda chuckled lightly and rubbed the back of his neck.

"A lot of us may have overdone it last night." He admitted. The buzzing in his pocket startled him and Zuko pulled out his phone.

"Stop texting my sister!" Sokka yelled and Zuko laughed as he unlocked the phone.

 **Sugar Queen: Good. You can tell me more about how much you love me. ;)**

 **I don't recall saying that. :Sparky**

 **Sugar Queen: You calling me a liar?! :O**

 **I can't take you seriously if you use the faces. :Sparky**

 **Sugar Queen: They're cute, like me.**

 **You are cute. :Sparky**

Zuko hovered his finger over the keyboard, hesitating. He knew it was weak, but it was easier.

 **And I do love you. :Sparky**

 **Sugar Queen: I know.**

As the morning progressed, Zuko and Katara kept texting. The group - sans Sokka and Suki - started a Quick Chat story, sending pictures back and forth of various freakouts and meltdowns. Toph's phone was fitted with a top notch recognition software that buzzed or made notification sounds when certain images came into view. Her pictures weren't always the best, but she still managed to snag a couple of good ones; she captured a photo of Fei Hong, Katara, and Suki in their slips all taking a shot of some clear liquid. A half empty bottle on the counter behind them hinted at multiple previous rounds.

Her caption was simply "the dress approaches." Which was oddly ominous.

There really wasn't a lot to do when they arrived at the venue. The suit shop had set up a temporary shelter that doubled as both a changing room and workspace. They all got into their tuxes and the tailor made any needed adjustments. Zuko made sure to move his case from his coat into his inner tux pocket. After all this, if he lost the rings he would just find a hole to lay down in.

He kept waiting for time to slow down, to demarcate the important event, but it never did. Time kept rushing forward and after the photos came the immediate staging. People started to be seated and Aang went over the ceremony one more time with Sokka and the wedding planner. Then, all of a sudden, Zuko was lined up next to Sokka and the music started to play.

Katara came down the aisle first and a shard of ice jammed itself down his throat to pin his guts to the ground. The wedding colors were evergreen and teal, and Katara looked fantastic. Her hair was pinned up in a messy sort of way, with white flowers dotting here and there. For an instance, Zuko hoped she was walking up to him, but she only smiled at him before breaking to the left.

He didn't stop watching her till he heard Sokka's choked gasp. Turning, Zuko smiled and felt a similar sort of overwhelming joy, bringing a tear to his eye. Suki was dressed in white with the brilliant green accents, and her face done in Kyoshi makeup. Weddings had changed over the decades, and many of the old rituals had been lost even in these small places. But Suki wasn't the type to let go of such a meaningful part of her life just to fit some other view of a bride.

Zuko still thought she looked stunning.

He didn't drop the rings, and he did brace Sokka as Suki read her vows. Aang pronounced them man and wife, they kissed, and everyone cheered. As they walked out, Zuko taking Fei Hong's arm, he winked at Katara and trailed down the aisle after the bride and groom.

The caravan then drove to the reception.

The wedding party, plus Toph and Aang, ended up in the first limo. Katara reclined against Zuko as she pried the cork out of a bottle of sparkling wine and the loud pop seemed to dislodge the last bit of nerves among everyone. The laughter was borderline hysterical, but Katara's scientist hands kept steady as she poured into the tall glass flutes.

Since this was a point of transition, the group was trying to find its new equilibrium. The concept of Suki and Sokka being together wasn't new, but marriage was normally a portend of other, more drastic life changes. The group did not want to split apart, and they had only last dealt with this after Zuko's formal sentencing and expulsion from the royal family. They all recognized that things were going to change, and not a one of them really wanted that to happen.

So they told stories of the past.

They inevitably talked about Zuko's first introduction, a topic that made him more sullen than usual.

"It's just so hard to imagine now." Sokka said, looking at Zuko. "I keep seeing the present you back then, and it just doesn't make sense."

Zuko knew he was blessed that his friends saw his attack on their village as a one-off. He himself had struggled over it ever since, seeing it as a specific example of the wide-spread terror his family had inflicted.

He had driven tanks into a settlement of a decimated population, people the Fire Nation had made refugees of in their own homes.

But Sokka, and seemingly Katara, just saw him as a tortured child.

"Hey, cheer up." Katara said and elbowed him sharply in the side. "At least you never used another person's body against their will." She spoke with the same bitter false humor that Zuko often used, and it made him feel worse. He had rationalized Katara's bloodbending in much the same way she and her brother had rationalized his behavior.

"We should probably go to therapy." Zuko remarked.

"Are you going to pay for that too?" Sokka shot back and the group laughed.

Between them all, they buffeted Fei Hong with the entirety of their story. The covert missions that seemed laughable now when they remembered they had been teenagers, the altering of medical documents to fake a plague, the impossibly surreal moment when they had managed to lose a flying sky bison, and Toph manifesting the true strength of her metalbending by pulling drones out of the sky en masse.

Zuko's thread was lost among the others, and he mentally connected their points in his own timeline. His being captured with his uncle, his brief reconnection to his family, his hiding in an Earth Kingdom town where he had shamefully lied about being a fugitive Earth soldier.

Katara told the parts about the crystal catacombs, being much kinder than he deserved. They both left out the final Agni Kai with Azula.

The stories stitched them together, each assuring the rest that this life they spent together would endure. Zuko prayed that it would.

The reception was held in a large banquet hall. At the wedding, there hadn't been much activity beyond the central rite, and yet Zuko had managed not to notice his family sitting in the rows of chairs. At the hall, even with the noise and clamor, somehow his eye was immediately drawn to the people in red. Zuko excused himself, thinking no one would notice, but before he even stepped away from the group, he felt a hand on his arm.

"You can't leave your fiancée." Katara said before linking her arm through his. Zuko patted her hand his other and leaned in to kiss her.

"I love you." He whispered.

"And I love you." She whispered back and quickly kissed his lips again. Turning her face forward, she set her expression into something stern. "Now let's go uncover some conspiracies."

Zuko snorted but they walked arm in arm over to the Fire Nation contingency.

He froze when the crowd shifted and exposed the others standing with them.

Azula looked thinner than Zuko thought she ought. Her face was somehow more sharper with the angles of her cheeks standing out prominently. Her nose, which had always been thin and long, seemed more like a knife blade. Yet somehow, the way the light caught on these angles, she looked beautiful. She had their father's beauty, one that caused an icy grip to slither through the bowels.

The green and gold robes she wore looked bizzarre on her, especially with the top knot bound in a red ribbon. Katara squeezed his arm and he wondered if he saw his sister as she once had, as a disguised insurgent.

The man with Azula was nondescript. As much as he fought against his racist upbringing, Zuko thought he looked much the same as every other Earth Kingdom man of that age. A round face, dark eyebrows, and block of facial hair that seemed to have been stamped over his mouth. There wasn't anything beguiling about the man; no suspicious glint of the eyes, no fierce set of his jaw. But he didn't look like the doughy generals Zuko had seen in the army.

The King of Omashu looked too plain to be where he was, so his very presence made Zuko suspicious.

"Nephew, come and join us!" Iroh called. Zuko tensed, but heard Katara let out a breath before squeezing him again. They moved forward, and he was able to relax a little as he felt Katara take easy, swaying steps.

"Why didn't you tell me Azula would be here?" Zuko snapped as they approached. Katara sighed as Ozai bristled.

"Don't embarrass yourself, child." Ozai hissed and Zuko turned to glare at him. The pair locked eyes for a moment before Zuko broke away, turning now to the king.

"Pardon my rudeness," Zuko said and bowed deeply. "My years in exile devastated my manners." Ozai made a brief gurgling noise and Katara coughed discreeetly behind him. Zuko then brought her gently forward.

"May I introduce Master Katara, of the South Pole." He said as Katara put out her hand. "She has recently graced me by agreeing to marry me."

Li Jing watched Katara for a second before shaking hands with her. Katara always navigated political interactions in this way; many older politicians viewed her as naive and uncouth, while the savvy ones understood the power play.

She had saved the world, if they weren't going to bow to her then she was going to treat them like commoners.

"A pleasure to finally meet you King Li Jing." Katara said.

"I do apologize for not meeting with you when you were in residence at Omashu. I hadn't realized there would be so much travel involved with being king." Li Jing replied. "Congratulations on your engagement, Master Katara."

"Congratulations to you as well. It seems we are going to be family soon." Katara said, looking over at Azula. "Azula, I hadn't expected to see you again."

The pocket they had created themselves in the middle of the party was suddenly empty of air. Zuko almost started to laugh, seeing the strangled expression on both Ozai's and Iroh's faces.

"Yes, we did all assume my imprisonment would be more, restricted." Azula said evenly.

"How did you two meet? At a prison mixer or something?" Katara inquired. Now Zuko did laugh and Iroh heaved a great sigh.

"I had actually met with the princess when I had gone to visit Ba Sing Se." Li Jing answered.

"She's not a princess." Zuko said quickly. When Li Jing glanced at him, Zuko gave him a sardonic sort of smile. "Just like how I'm not a prince."

Li Jing gave him an easy smile in reply.

"Of course, you're right. But among family, I believe some niceties are permissible." He smoothly turned and held out his hand. Azula placed hers in his and they looked at each other. Zuko wouldn't call it a loving look, but Azula's usual face of displeasure or disgust was also absent.

"She will always be a princess to me." Li Jing added.

"How cute. She was very princess-like when she tried to kill me." Katara said. Clapping her hands together before clasping them, Katara looked around the small group.

"Well, this was horrible and I'm now going to excuse myself as part of the wedding party and go actually enjoy some part of this evening." She turned to Iroh, who looked oddly shamed and embarrassed. "Iroh, usually a pleasure, not really sure what happened here, but maybe we'll get tea soon."

Katara put her hands on Iroh's shoulders and kissed his cheek. As she stepped back to Zuko, she nodded to the others.

"I'll see you three in court, I'm sure." She stated and Zuko choked as Iroh blanched. He didn't want to ask her to clarify which court.

"Come on Zuko, I'm hungry." Katara said with finality and started to pull him away. Zuko gave the rest of his family a small, two fingered salute, before swinging into a turn and following Katara back to the long tables.

"Your family sucks." She said. Zuko stopped and tugged on her, swinging her into a turn as well till she faced him. Holding her as if they were about to start waltzing, Zuko kissed her deeply.

"I was disowned and disinherited remember? Not my family." He said.

"You know they're up to something, right?" Katara asked. Zuko sighed, felt his shoulders fall, and shook his head.

"I just don't know what. I keep telling myself that because my uncle is involved, it can't be that bad." He said. Katara's eyes searched his face and she looked concerned.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to now introduce to you, the wedding party!" The DJ called out over the speakers and Katara perked up.

"Come on Zuko, we still have the party to get through." She said.

The wedding feast almost seemed to be a mirror of the night before. There was no bonfire, and the foreign groups brought in a sort of formality to the event, but there was still more drinking and more dancing. The Quick Chat group, still excluding Sokka and Suki, turned into a scavenger hunt of sorts as they all sought to find embarrassing examples of drunkenness. Toph was winning the streak since she was able to sneak up on people who were trying to hide in compromising positions with one another.

Fei Hong won by virtue of capturing a picture of every time Toph attempted to square up to a representative of every single world government. One of which being a double feature with Toph approaching Hakoda and the next of her being unceremoniously held under his arm.

Katara suggested that Toph had thrown the situation in her favor and Toph responded by spamming their chat with every instance of Katara and Zuko trying to kiss discreetly.

That started Aang off on his typical reply of highly outdated memes.

Zuko remembered the night Sokka had introduced Aang to memes. Being over one hundred, Aang came from a time when people had a phone in their house, sure, but it ran through switchboards and operators. The concept of the Internet had been a struggle, but Aang had adapted quickly.

But now they were being punished by Aang digging up ancient references and machine gunning them into as many situations as possible.

Katara started a seperate chat with Zuko, though they spent the night in close proximity. She would take pictures of Azula and Li Jing, or Ozai and Iroh, and send them to Zuko with captions involving the word "suspicious" and a varying amount of question marks and exclamation points.

It was a blase way to digest the information, but so was the nature of their generation. It ultimately allowed Zuko to put it to the side, understanding that it was a thing he would have to deal with severely.

Zuko stepped outside, feeling his body heat radiating out into the cold night air. Katara, tied to him by some invisible means, followed him out after only a few moments.

"I love you." He said, watching her step closer. The sudden smile, at once both surprised and knowing, made his heart swell. He reached out to her, pulling her to his chest, and held her.

"So you've said." Katara murmured, relaxing in his embrace.

"You're the only one I can trust with this." Zuko continued. Katara craned her neck back, looking at him quizzically.

"What? Your love?" She asked and Zuko chuckled.

"I meant the intrigue." He said and kissed the tip of her nose.

"You could trust the group with it." Katara said and laid her head back on his shoulder.

"In that they wouldn't betray me, of course. But not to actually deal with it." Zuko said and put his head on hers, looking back into the hall. "I couldn't even ask."

Sokka was dancing with Suki, and they held each other just as closely as Zuko was holding Katara. They swayed together, their eyes closed, looking perfectly at peace.

"Katara, I do love you, more than I thought I was able capable of." He said.

"I love you as well Zuko." She said simply. Zuko shifted so that Katara stepped back and looked at him.

"Katara," He started, holding tightly to her hands. He looked at them, the thin, graceful fingers and the brownness of her skin, looking more human that his calloused, pale hands.

"Katara," He began again and looked at her. Her sea blue eyes had a tide of their own, and he felt pulled toward them. She just watched him, waiting for him.

Kneeling down, Zuko kept hold of Katara's hands.

"Will you spy for me?" He asked and Katara laughed. She fell on him, putting her arms around her neck as they tumbled backward.

"I thought you'd never ask." She replied.

"So you will?" Zuko questioned, making Katara laugh again.

"Of course I will." She said and kissed him. "Every Agni Kai. Every time. I'll go with you." Zuko put his hands on her face.

"And we'll marry." He spoke and dotted her face with kisses as he did. "We'll topple a conspiracy."

"Yes."

"We'll have children."

"Yes."

Zuko stopped, feeling afraid.

"Will you?" He asked, beginning to tremble. From fear. From love.

"Zuko, yes." Katara huffed. "You have to trust me."

And so he did.


End file.
